63. Balade: «Ma seule dame, plus que nulle autre amee»

by: Oton de Granson (Author) , Peter Nicholson (Editor) , Joan Grenier-Winther (Editor)

from: Poems  

5 10 15 20 25 30 35

63. Balade: «Ma seule dame, plus que nulle autre amee» Vostre beauté, ma belle douce dame, A mon cuer mis en si tresdur party Que par desir il art tout et enflame Si asprement que, pour certain, mal vy, Se bien prochaine ne m’est vostre mercy, L’eure et le jour que premier vous amay. Car je sçay bien que pour celle morray, S’il ne vous plaist a moy reconforter Prouchainement et ma douleur muer En la leesse que tant ay desiree. Et s’ainsy n’est, brief me fauldra finer, Ma seule dame, plus que nulle autre amee. Car la douleur qui me point et entamer Me fait avoir si doulereux soussi Que pluseurs fois du mal mon cuer se pasme, En vous priant que par vous resjoy De la tristesse qui l’a taint et noircy Soit, s’il vous plaist. Ou autrement bien sçay Que bien briefment ma vie fineray, Car en ce point ne pourroit durer Mon dolent cuer. Et se brief alegier Ne m’en voulez, la mort me soit donnee, Si que fauldront les maulx qu’ay a porter, Ma seule dame, plus que nulle autre amee. Et s’il vous plaist que je muire, par m’ame, Trop bien le vueil, car de ce monde cy Suy ennuié, car je le hé et blasme, Jusques a tant que par vous adoucy Soit mon grief mal et mon cuer enrichi De vostre amour que tant vueil et vouldray Que saichiez bien, Belle, se je ne l’ay, Que tout le monde ne me pourroit garder Qu’il ne me faille la mort brief endurer. Maiz bien me plaist, s’a vo doulz cuer agree. Or m’en vueilliez vo vouloir commander, Ma seule dame, plus que nulle autre amee.

63. Ballade: “My only lady, beloved more than any other” Your beauty, my beautiful gentle lady, Placed my heart in so difficult a state That out of desire it burns and is inflamed So sharply that, for certain, I fare poorly If very soon your mercy is not mine, On the hour and day that I loved you first. For I know well that I shall die of this If it doesn’t please you to comfort me At once, and to change my sorrow Into the happiness that I have desired so much. And if it is not so, soon I must die, My only lady, beloved more than any other. For the sorrow that pierces and consumes me Causes me to have such sorrowful care That many times my heart faints from the pain In praying you that it be brought to joy From the sadness than has colored and darkened it, If it pleases you. Or otherwise, I know That very shortly my life will end, For in this state cannot endure My grieving heart. And if you do not wish To relieve me quickly, may death be given to me, So that the pains that I must bear will cease, My only lady, beloved more than any other. And if it please you that I die, by my soul, I want it very much, for of this world I am tired, for I hate it and reproach it, Until by you is softened My grievous pain, and my heart is enriched By your love, which I want and will want so much That, know well, fair one, if I do not have it, That all the world could not prevent My being forced soon to suffer death. But it pleases me well if it pleases your gentle heart. Now please command of me what you wish, My only lady, beloved more than any other.

(t-note)  (see note) (t-note)

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Footnotes

GRANSON, 63. BALADE:«MA SEULE DAME, PLUS QUE NULLE AUTRE AMEE»: EXPLANATORY NOTES

ABBREVIATIONS: A: Lausanne, Bibliothèque Cantonale et Universitaire, MS 350; B: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, f. fr. 1727; C: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, f. fr. 1131; D: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, f. fr. 24440; E: Barcelona, Biblioteca de Catalunya, MS 8, Catalan, 1420–30; F: Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, f. fr. 2201; K: Lausanne, Bibliothèque Cantonale et Universitaire, IS 4254; N: Brussels, Bibliothèque royale Albert 1er, MS 10961–10970, c. 1465; P: Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Van Pelt Library, MS Codex 902 (formerly Fr. MS 15), 1395–1400; 100B: Les Cent Ballades; Basso: “L’envol et l’ancrage”; BD: Chaucer, The Book of the Duchess; Berguerand: Berguerand, Duel; Boulton: Song; Braddy: Braddy, Chaucer and Graunson; Carden: “Le Livre Messire Ode d’Oton de Grandson; CA: Gower, Confessio Amantis; DL: Guillaume de Machaut, Dit dou lyon; DLA: Guillaume de Machaut, Dit de l’alerion; FA: La fonteinne amoureuse; FC: Wimsatt, French Contemporaries; GW: Granson, Poésies, ed. Grenier-Winther; LGW: Chaucer, The Legend of Good Women; PA: Froissart, Paradis d’Amour; PF: Chaucer, The Parliament of Fowls; Piaget: Grandson, Vie et poésies, ed. Piaget; PL: Guillume de Machaut, Poésies Lyriques; Poirion: Poirion, Poète et prince; TC: Chaucer, Troilus and Criseyde; RR: Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun, Le Roman de la rose; VD: Guillaume de Machaut, Le livre dou voir dit.

This is the third of the six poems grouped together in manuscript F under the title “Les six balades ensuivans.” See the note to 35, above.

1–6 To make sense of this sentence, the temporal reference in line 6 must go with the verb in line 2.

GRANSON, 63. BALADE:«MA SEULE DAME, PLUS QUE NULLE AUTRE AMEE»: TEXTUAL NOTES

Abbreviations: A: Lausanne, Bibliothèque Cantonale et Universitaire, MS 350; B: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, fr. 1727; C: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, fr. 1131; D: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, fr. 24440; E: Barcelona, Biblioteca de Catalunya, MS 8, Catalan, 1420–30; F: Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, fr. 2201; G: London, Westminster Abbey Library, MS 21; H: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, fr. 833, c. 1500; J: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, fr. 1952; K: Lausanne, Bibliothèque Cantonale et Universitaire, IS 4254; L: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Rothschild MS I.I.9; M: Carpentras, Bibliothèque Inguimbertine, MS fr. 390; N: Brussels, Bibliothèque royale Albert 1er, MS 10961–10970, c. 1465; O: Karlsruhe, Badische Landesbibliothek, MS 410, c. 1430; P: Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Van Pelt Library, MS Codex 902 (formerly Fr. MS 15), 1395–1400; Q: Berne, Burgerbibliothek da la Bourgeoisie, MS 473, 1400–40; R: Turin, Archivio di Stato, MS J. b. IX. 10; S: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, fr. 24404; T: Besançon, Bibliothèque Municipale, MS 556, 1826; V: Carpentras, Bibliothèque Inguimbertine, MS 411; W: Brussels, Bibliothèque royale Albert 1er, MS IV 541, 1564–81; Y: Turin, Biblioteca Nazionale e Universitaria, MS L.II.12.

For each poem, we provide the following:

Other editions: The location of the poem in the editions of Grenier-Winther (GW) and Piaget.

Base MS: The manuscript from which our text is taken, using the sigla listed on this page.

Other copies: The other manuscripts in which the poem appears, with the line numbers for excerpts.

Selected variants: Most of the notes record the editors’ emendations. A small number (for instance, regarding the titles) record alternative readings when we did not emend the base text. We do not, however, provide a complete list of variants, for which one may consult Grenier-Winther’s edition. Each note consists of a line number, a lemma (the reading from our text), the manuscript source for the reading that we have chosen, selected readings from other manuscripts; and the reading from the base manuscript when it was rejected. If no manuscript source is listed following the lemma, the adopted reading is the editors’ conjecture.

Other comments on the text, as required.

GW81, Piaget p. 216.
Base MS F. No other copies.

Title Balade. F: lacks.

15 fois. F: lacks.